#EveryCharacterMatters when you only have 140 characters to express your thoughts, opinions, and ideas.
On 10 August, 40 creators from ten countries took part in the first ever Twitter Video Relay, in which Twitter tasked participants to make videos about why #EveryCharacterMatters to them before passing on the baton. A handful of Niche‘s UK creators took part, and it opened the eyes of those who’ve been wondering why Twitter is such an important platform to so many.
Kicking things off for the UK was Roly West, who discussed with their followers how Twitter – and social media in general – have allowed them to become and embrace the person they are today.
"Be Yourself And Slay The World" This is why #EveryCharacterMatters is so important to me! #RT and spread the word <33 pic.twitter.com/0B9b6iz10h
— Roly 🦄 (@RolyUnGashaa) August 10, 2017
Not one to exclude their followers from the discussion, Roly asked questions about being involved in the LGBTQ+ community and self-pride. The responses were heartwarming, and supported Roly’s stance that social media is a great platform for self-discovery and acceptance.
They passed on the baton to GIF artist Kate Bones, who has carved her own future with her unique take on photo art. Her ability to share her work on Twitter has allowed her to meet many interesting and inspiring people, and that’s what she’s taken most from being involved in the campaign.
Push the boundaries of what you say and what you create 💡🙌🏼🌈 #EveryCharacterMatters over to you @petesjams 🎤 pic.twitter.com/i8zk3WiFIS
— KATE BONES (@mskatebones) August 10, 2017
Receiving the baton next was Pete Bucknall, who wrote a catchy song for his #EveryCharacterMatters entry. Emphasising understanding, acceptance, and kindness, the track is a catchy reminder that Twitter is a place where many opinions are shared and where tolerance of what others say is important. There’s no better open forum online, so we have to make sure we use Twitter to make the world a better place!
I wrote a song to help spread the word that #EveryCharacterMatters. A fun little tune about using the awesome voice you have for good :) 💜 pic.twitter.com/lB114MQmh3
— Pete Bucknall (@petesjams) August 10, 2017
When asked why he thinks Twitter is an important platform, Pete replied: “Being able to put bitesize chunks of our personalities and creativity out into the Twittersphere whenever we need to is invaluable to me and so many others as creators. I have a lot of positivity I want to spread to the world, and whether I want to do that in 140 characters’ worth of a little happy message every now and then or promoting a new video I’ve made, Twitter is a fantastic platform for it.”
I'm so excited to be involved in #EveryCharacterMatters with @Twitter as everyones voice can be heard on here, here is my year in tweets pic.twitter.com/Ztunok3cn5
— lew (@lookingforlewys) August 10, 2017
Pete passed the baton to Lewys Ball, who celebrated the event by sharing his year in tweets, an idea we loved! We definitely agree that Rihanna is the ultimate fave, slaying it time and time again, and we were stoked to relive the announcement that Lewys has been named as the face of Rimmel London’s 2017 campaign – oh, the memories.
When asked about taking part in the relay, Lewys said: “I’m taking part because I think it’s important that everyone’s voice is heard, no matter who they are. It’s a great platform to speak to thousands of people from all around the world, and for different types of people to be who they are.”
Excited to be part of #EveryCharacterMatters talking #SelfLoveBringsBeauty Using your voice 2 spread love is cool 💖 next up is @HannahWitton pic.twitter.com/0f9fxO05uq
— Felicity Hayward (@FelicityHayward) August 10, 2017
Model and self-love advocate Felicity Hayward was up next, sharing a video about body positivity and how Twitter has allowed her to share her message. Twitter is a place where people can gain confidence and discover their love for themselves, and with each character everyone can share that confidence with the world. That’s uber important, if you ask us.
Felicity passed the baton over to Hannah Witton, who teamed up with Roly for a Periscope Q&A all about sex and love – and her book Doing It, of course.
#EveryCharacterMatters https://t.co/XuAcpbqjHG
— Hannah Witton (@hannahwitton) August 10, 2017
While we learnt many things about Hannah and Roly, our fave titbits were that both of them would let the person they love kiss their armpits (if they were into that sort of thing), and that Roly plans to attend as many Pride festivals as possible next year. Worldwide road trip, anyone?
When asked why she likes using Twitter to spread her message, Hannah stated: “For me, it’s such a great way to communicate directly with my audience. If someone tweets me, I will most definitely see it. It’s a great platform for engaging with people, meeting people, and having conversations.”
NO racism, sexism, transphobia, hatefulness, jealousy. We've got good LOVE and CREATIVITY #EVERYCHARACTERMATTERS You next, @Rene_Silva_RJ pic.twitter.com/b8nXK9JRJ7
— Mariette Immaculate (@Mariettei) August 10, 2017
Closing out the UK’s participation in the relay was Mariette Immaculate, who used her video to discuss how social media has helped her and many others find their voices. Not only has it allowed her to achieve her dreams, but to also explore her culture and see the world with her closest friends, and that’s something she wants to celebrate. And you know what? We want to as well!
Creator quotes courtesy of Jo Burford of Niche.
Why do you think #EveryCharacterMatters?
Has Twitter given you a space to express your opinions, or brought you together with some of your nearest and dearest friends? Be sure to tweet using the hashtag! We know that without Twitter we wouldn’t be where we are today, and we’re incredibly thankful for everyone who not only supports us on there, but on all our other socials as well. You guys have made running an online magazine the best experience ever!
Need more YouTube in your life? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered:
- Niche’s #CreatorDay at Twitter UK: Recap
- The Wall of Comedy Panel at Niche’s #CreatorDay 2017
- Staying Power Panel at Niche’s #CreatorDay 2017
- Ten Short Film Creators You Should Be Watching
- Sad Dads of Summer in the City 2017
For updates follow @TenEightyUK on Twitter or like TenEighty UK on Facebook.
